Amid criticism he isn't doing enough to beat back rising gas prices, President Obama Thursday said he is calling on his administration "to cut through red tape, break through bureaucratic hurdles," and make the Southern leg of the controversial Keystone pipeline "a priority." In fact, "we're drilling all over the place right now," the president said, citing his administration's directive to open up millions of acres for oil and gas exploration in 23 states. Under his watch, Mr. Obama said, the number of operating oil rigs has reached a record high, he said, and the U.S. has added enough new...

President Obama plans to announce in Cushing, Oklahoma Thursday that his administration will expedite the permit for the southern half of the Keystone XL pipeline, a source familiar with the president's announcement tells CNN. In January, the Obama administration denied a permit for the 1,700 mile long Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would stretch from Canada's tar sands development to the U.S. Gulf Coast. That decision was met by persistent Republican criticism that the president has not been doing everything possible to create jobs and combat high gas prices.

CUSHING, Okla. -- The President is scheduled to speak in Payne County this Thursday morning. It may be rural Oklahoma, but when it comes to pipelines, it's the Capitol. The President is expected to talk about energy, though many in that industry are not impressed. They are even planning to protest his visit, calling it a political ploy more than a genuine interest. Mike Cantrell with the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance says, "For the last three years he's been anti-fossil fuels." Mickey Thompson, an energy industry expert and political analyst, says, "He calls our industry an industry of the past...

Perhaps visit to Oklahoma will be instructive for President Obama The Oklahoman Editorial | Published: March 21, 2012 IS it just us or is there something disingenuous about using thousands of gallons of jet fuel for photo ops that involve Barack Obama's professed love of alternative energy and his expressed concern over high gasoline prices? The Obama campaign air show whistle-stops in Oklahoma Wednesday and Thursday, the first time the president has set foot in the state since becoming president. He'll visit Cushing to say how much he likes the idea of a new petroleum pipeline from there to the...

President Obama hits the road this week to try to shake off two persistent political liabilities — Keystone XL and Solyndra — and their ongoing damage to his re-election hopes. Instead of shying away from these two political hot potatoes, Mr. Obama seems determined to try to change the public’s mind about them — or at least explain how they fit into his stated “all of the above” approach to energy. It won’t be an easy task, especially with voters worried that rising gas prices could thwart the economic recovery and political opponents charging that Mr. Obama is more committed...

Actor Alec Baldwin took to his Twitter page this weekend to blast Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe as an “oil whore”. Like Rush Limbaugh before him there is no remorse at the prospect of calling someone a name like that. Senator Inhofe is a known climate change denier, and that is what caused Baldwin to call him a “Whore”. The two have been locked in a heavy debate about fossil fuels and the environment. Baldwin sent out the following Tweet, “Oil Whore Jim Inhofe has betrayed every man and woman who lost their livelihood on the Gulf due to BP’s overwhelming...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A president so unpopular in Oklahoma that he failed to win a single county during the 2008 election will visit the Sooner State next week — including the oil hub Barack Obama spurned by rejecting a transcontinental pipeline earlier this year. Cushing mayor Evert Rossiter says that, despite the president’s decision, he expects Obama will receive the “red carpet” treatment when he visits the oilfield community as part of a four-state tour on Wednesday and Thursday.

McAlester, Oklahoma -- A man convicted of killing his wife in Tulsa in 1996 was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Timothy Stemple has been on death row for 16 years. Stemple confessed to and was convicted of beating Trisha Stemple, 30, with a baseball bat, then running over her on the side of highway 75 near Jenks. The execution was carried out at the state prison in McAlester after Gov. Mary Fallin denied a request by the condemned man's family to stay the capital punishment. 3/13/2012 Related Story: Anti-Death Penalty...

Oklahoma has been on the verge of an open carry law for firearms for several years. Then Governor Brad Henry vetoed the last measure to make it that far in 2010 but Governor Mary Fallin may have a chance to sign one of her own. Senate bill 1733 was passed by a 34-9 vote on Wednesday and now heads to the House for further consideration. 1733 would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to also carry the gun openly if they choose. The bill was written by Senator Anthony Sykes a Republican from Moore and would require those applying...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Licensed Oklahomans would be able to carry holstered firearms openly under a bill passed Wednesday by the Oklahoma House. The proposal would essentially extend the state's current concealed weapon permit law to include guns carried visibly in belt or shoulder holsters. To qualify for a license under the law, a person must be a U.S. citizen, live in the state, be at least 21, complete a firearms safety and training course, pass a criminal records check, be fingerprinted and pay fees. The measure, written by Rep. Steve Martin, R-Bartlesville, passed on a 85-9 vote. It goes on...

The Brady Bunch has released their annual scorecard rating states based on how strict their gun laws are. The scorecard is a very useful tool to help rights groups understand how their state compares to others on a liberty scale; more points = less liberty. Alaska, Arizona, and Utah have all achieved the coveted Zero Points/Zero Stars on the Brady scale and are now competing to see which state will be the first into negative numbers – which is possible through bonus points. Arizona and Alaska can reach a –2 point score by protecting carry rights on campuses of state...

TULSA, OKLAHOMA, March 8, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) Â– He probably isnâ€™t losing much sleep at night about the possibility of losing his partyâ€™s presidential nomination, but President Barack Obama did lose 14 counties in Tuesdayâ€™s Oklahoma Democratic primary to Randall Terry. The pro-life activist, who founded Operation Rescue, won 12 Oklahoma counties and won more votes than Barack Obama in 14. In three counties, Obama was bested by Jim Rogers, the state Democratic Partyâ€™s U.S. Senate candidate in 2010. Statewide, Obama won 57 percent of the Democratic vote. Initial reports said Terry won 18 percent, but other estimates indicate Terry won...

A pipeline that is set to begin transporting crude oil from the Midwest to refiners on the Gulf Coast later this year is already fully booked through its initial phase, a company spokesman said, the latest sign of the intense interest in moving crude trapped in the central U.S. The Seaway pipeline is set to begin transporting 150,000 barrels a day of crude from Cushing, Okla., to the Gulf Coast starting June 1, expanding to 400,000 barrels a day starting in the first quarter of 2013. Currently, the pipeline moves crude in the opposite direction toward Cushing. The pipeline is...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Talking to Red Dirt Report from his campaign RV, now parked in Tulsa, anti-abortion activist Randall Terry, who was on Oklahoma’s Democratic primary ballot, was excited about getting 18 percent of the vote and likely qualifying for as many as two delegates. “I beat (Obama) in 12 counties. They were in the west and the south and I took the entire Panhandle,” Terry said. In all, Obama lost 15 out of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, according to the Associated Press. Terry was among three other lesser-known Democratic presidential candidates to qualify and appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot. By...

Excerpt: "According to Democratic Party rules, Terry is eligible for a delegate since he won more than 15 percent of the statewide vote. Terry beat Obama in 12 counties, mostly in western Oklahoma. Terry acknowledges he can't win the presidency but says he hopes to cause Obama's defeat in the fall."

President Barack Obama collected the most votes in the Oklahoma Democratic primary, but lost in 15 counties. With 98 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday, Obama won 57 percent of the vote. Four other candidates combined for 43 percent of the vote, including anti-abortion activist and Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry who received 18 percent of the vote. According to Democratic Party rules, Terry is eligible for a delegate since he won more than 15 percent of the statewide vote.

President Barack Obama collected the most votes in the Oklahoma Democratic primary, but lost in 15 counties. With more than 90 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday, Obama won 55 percent of the vote. Four other candidates combined for 45 percent of the vote, including anti-abortion activist Randall Terry who had more than 18 percent of the vote. According to Democratic Party rules, Terry is eligible for a delegate since he won more than 15 percent of the statewide vote. Until Tuesday, Obama had won all of the Democratic delegates awarded so far. Terry beat Obama in 12 counties, mostly in...

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum won the Republican presidential primary in Oklahoma on Tuesday, Fox News projected shortly after polls closed. It was the first victory of the night for Santorum, a staunch conservative who has been trying to establish himself as the conservative alternative to the more moderate front-runner Mitt Romney. Ten states are voting in nominating contests on Super Tuesday